direct indirect speech worksheet class 10

Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises for Class 10 CBSE With Answers

When we use the exact words of the speaker, it is called direct speech. Indirect or Reported Speech refers to a sentence reporting what someone has said.

Basic English Grammar rules can be tricky. In this article, we’ll get you started with the basics of sentence structure, punctuation, parts of speech, and more. in this page, we have explained the Reported Speech Exercises for Class 10 .

Direct and Indirect Speech Exercises for Class 10 CBSE With Answers PDF

1. When the actual words are spoken are quoted, it is called Direct Speech. 2. When we report without quoting the exact words spoken it is called Indirect Speech. Example:

Ram said, “I am very busy now.” (Direct).
Ram said that he was very busy then. (Indirect)
In the Direct Speech, inverted commas are used to show the exact words of the speaker. In Indirect Speech, it is not so.
In the Indirect Speech, a conjunction that is used before the indirect statement.
The pronoun ‘l’ is changed to ‘he’.
The verb ‘am’ is changed to ‘was’.
The adverb ‘now’ is changed to ‘then’.

Remember When the reporting verb is in the past tense, all present tenses of the direct speech are changed into the corresponding past tenses.

am/is → was
will → would
are → were
can → could
do/does → did
want/like/know/go, etc. → wanted/liked/went
have/has → had

The past simple (did/saw/knew, etc.) can usually stay the same in reported speech or can be changed to the past perfect (had done/had seen/had known, etc.)

Harjot said: “I woke up feeling ill, so I didn’t go to school.” – (direct)
Harjot said that she woke up feeling ill, so she didn’t go to school. – (reported) Or
Harjot said she had woken up feeling ill, so she hadn’t gone to school. (reported)

(a) A simple present becomes a simple past.

Direct : He said, “I am unwell.”
Indirect : He said that he was unwell.

(b) A present continuous becomes a past continuous.

Direct : He said, “My master is writing letters.”
Indirect : He said that his master was writing letters.

Direct : He said, “I have passed the examination.”
Indirect : He said that he had passed the examination.

(d) The simple past becomes the past perfect.

Direct : He said, “The horse died in the night.”
Indirect : He said that the horse had died in the night.

If the reporting verb is in the present tense the tenses of the direct speech do not change. We may thus rewrite the given examples putting the reporting verb in the present tense.

He says he is unwell.
He has just said his master is writing letters.
He says he has passed the examination.
He says the horse died in the night.

Words expressing nearness in time or place are changed into words expressing distance.

Direct And Indirect Speech Worksheets With Answers Pdf for Class 10 CBSE

In reporting questions, indirect speech is introduced by verbs as ‘asked’, ‘inquired’ etc.

Direct : He said to me, “What are you doing?”
Indirect : He asked me what I was doing.

When the question is not introduced by an interrogative word the reporting verb is followed by ‘if’ or ‘whether’.

Direct : He said, “Will you listen to such a man?”
Indirect : He asked them if/whether they would listen to such a man.

Reported Speech Commands And Requests Examples

Imperative mood is changed into the infinitive and verbs expressing command or request to introduce indirect speech.

Direct : Ram said to Arjun, “Go away.”
Indirect : Ram ordered Arjun to go away.
Direct : He said to him, “Please wait here till I return.”
Indirect : He requested him to wait there till he returned.

Direct and Indirect Exclamatory and Wishes Example Words expressing exclamation or wish to introduce the Indirect Speech.

Direct : Ela said, “How clever I am!”
Indirect : Ela exclaimed that she was very clever.

Change the following sentences into Indirect Speech:

The captain said, “Bravo! well done, my boys.”
He said to her, “Why do you read this book?”
He said to her, “Does your cow not kick?”
He said to his brother, “Shailesh has broken my glass.”
Our teacher said, “The earth revolves around the sun.”
He said to me, “Why have you come here?”
Usha said, “Father, you are very kind to me.”
The teacher said to the boys, “Do not make a noise.”
He said to his friend, “May you prosper in business!”
The officer said to the peon, “Let the visitor come into my office.”

CBSE Class 10 English Grammar – Direct And Indirect Speech

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(Statements, Commands, Requests, and Questions) The words spoken by a person can be reported in two ways—Direct and Indirect. When we quote the exact words spoken by a person, we call it Direct Speech.

Sohan said to Mohan, “I am going to school.”

The exact words spoken by Sohan are put within inverted commas. But when we give the substance of what Sohan said, it is called the Indirect Speech.

Direct and Indirect Speech

Sohan told to Mohan that he (Sohan) was going to school.

1. Reporting Clause and Reported Speech: Sohan told Mohan that he was going to school. The words which generally come before the inverted commas are called the reporting clause, i.e. Sohan said to Mohan and the verb ‘said’, is called the reporting verb. The words spoken by Sohan and put within inverted commas are called the reported speech, i.e. “I am going to school.”

2. Rules for Changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech:

In the Indirect speech, no inverted commas are used.
The conjunctions that, if, whether, are generally used after the reporting verb.
The first word of the reported speech begins with a capital letter.
The tense of the reporting verb is never changed.
The reporting verb changes according to sense: it may be told, asked, inquired

3. Rules for the Change of Pronouns:

The first person pronouns (I, me, my, we, us, our) in the reported speech change according to the subject of the reporting verb.
The pronouns of the second person (you, your, yourself) in the reported speech change according to the object of the reporting verb.
The pronouns of the third person do not change.

For example:

He said, “I like the book.” He said that he liked the book.
He said to me, “Do you like the book?” He asked me if I liked the book.
He said, “He likes the book.”a He said that he liked the book.

If the reporting verb is in the present or the future tense, the tense of the reported speech is not changed: Satish says, “I am flying a kite.” Satish says that he is flying a kite. Satish will say, “I want a glass of milk.” Satish will say that he wants a glass of milk.

If the direct speech expresses a historical fact, universal truth, or a habitual fact, then the tense of the direct speech will not change: Direct: He said, “Honesty is the best policy.” Indirect: He said that honesty is the best policy. Direct: He said, “The sun rises in the east.” Indirect: He said that the sun rises in the east. Direct: Rakesh said, “I am an early riser.” Indirect : Rakesh said that he is an early riser. Direct: She said, “God is omnipresent.” Indirect: She said that God is omnipresent. Direct: The teacher said, “The First World War started in 1914.” Indirect: The teacher said that the First World War started in 1914.

6. Changing Statements into Indirect Speech:

The reporting verb ‘said to’ is changed-to ‘told’, ‘replied’, ‘remarked’,
The reporting verb is not followed by an object, it is not changed.
The inverted commas are removed. The conjunction is used to connect the reporting clause with the reported speech.

The rules for the change of pronouns, tenses, etc. are followed.

Direct: Ramu said, “I saw a lion in the forest.” Indirect: Ramu said that he had seen a lion in the forest.
Direct: Satish said to me, “I am very happy here.” Indirect: Satish told me that he was very happy there.
Direct: He said, “I can do this work.” Indirect: He said that he could do that work.
Direct: Renu said to me, “I was washing the clothes.” Indirect: Renu told me that she had been washing the clothes.
Direct: She said, “I am not well.” Indirect: She said that she was not well.
Direct: He said to Sita, “I have passed the test.” Indirect: He told Sita that he had passed the test.
Direct: I said to my friend, “He has been working very hard.” Indirect: I told my friend that he had been working very hard.
Direct: My friend said to me, “I shall go to Delhi tomorrow.” Indirect: My friend told me that he would go to Delhi the next day.
Direct: I said, “I agree to what he said.” Indirect: I said that I agreed to what he had said.
Direct: The student said to the teacher, “I am sorry that I am late.” Indirect: The student told the teacher that he was sorry that he was late.

7. Rules for the Change of Interrogative (Questions) sentences:

The reporting verb “say’ is changed into ask, inquire,

The interrogative sentence is changed into a statement by placing the subject before the verb and the full stop is put at the end of the sentence.

If the interrogative sentence has a wh-word (who, when, where, how, why, etc) the wh-word is repeated in the sentence. It serves as conjunction.

If the interrogative sentence is a yes-no answer type sentence (with auxiliary verbs am, are, was, were, do, did, have, shall, etc), then ‘if or ‘whether’ is used as a conjunction.

The auxiliaries do, does, did in a positive question in the reported speech are dropped.

The conjunction is not used after the reporting clause.

Direct: I said to him, “Where are you going?” Indirect: I asked him where he was going.
Direct: He said to me, “Will you go there?” Indirect: He asked me if I would go there.
Direct: My friend said to Deepak, “Have you ever been to Agra?” Indirect: My friend asked Deepak if he had ever been to Agra.
Direct: I said to him, “Did you enjoy the movie?” Indirect: I asked him if he had enjoyed the movie.
Direct: I said to her, “Do you know him?” Indirect: I asked her if she knew him.
Direct: He said to me, “Will you listen to me?” Indirect: He asked me if I would listen to him.
Direct: I said to him, “When will you go there?” Indirect: I asked him when he would go there.
Direct: He said to me, “How is your father?” Indirect: He asked me how my father was.
Direct: I said to him, “Are you happy?” Indirect: I asked him if he was happy.
Direct: He said to her, “Do you like apples?” Indirect: He asked her if she liked apples.

8. Changing Commands and Requests into Indirect Speech:

In imperative sentences having commands, the reporting verb is changed into command, order, tell, allow, request,etc.
The imperative mood is changed into the infinitive mood by putting ‘to’, before the verb. In case of negative sentences, the auxiliary ‘do’ is dropped and ‘to’ is placed after ‘not’:
Direct: She said to me, “Open the window.” Indirect: She ordered me to open the window.
Direct: The captain said to the soldiers, “Attack the enemy.” Indirect: The captain commanded the soldiers to attack the enemy.
Direct: I said to him, “Leave this place at once.” Indirect: I told him to leave that place at once.
Direct: The teacher said to the students, “Listen to me attentively.” Indirect: The teacher asked the students to listen to him attentively.
Direct: The Principal said to the peon, “Ring the bell.” Indirect: The Principal ordered the peon to ring the bell.
Direct: The master said to the servant, “Fetch me a glass of water.” Indirect: The master ordered the servant to fetch him a glass of water.
Direct: I said to him, “Please bring me a glass of water.” Indirect: I requested him to bring me a glass of water.
Direct: I said to my friend, “Please lend me your book.” Indirect: I requested my friend to lend me his book.

9. Sentences with ‘Let’.

‘Let’ is used in various meanings.

(i) ‘Let’ is used to make a proposal.

First change the reporting verb into ‘proposed’ or ‘suggested’.
Use ‘should’ instead of ‘let’. Example: Direct: He said to me, “Let us go home.” Indirect: He suggested to me that we should go home.

(ii) ‘Let’ is used as ‘to allow’.

In Indirect Speech, we change the reporting verb to ‘requested’ or ‘ordered’.
We start Reported Speech with ‘to’. Direct: Ram said to Mohan, “Let him do it.” Indirect: Ram ordered Mohan to let him do that. Or Ram told Mohan that he might be allowed to do that.

10. Sentences with Question Tags (i) In the indirect speech the question-tag is usually left. (ii) In indirect speech these words are removed and the word ‘respectfully’ is used in the reporting clause. Direct: Mahesh said, “Sir, may I go home?” Indirect: Mahesh respectfully asked his sir if he might go home.

11. Sentences with ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ Direct : He said, “Can you dance?” And I said, “No.” Indirect: He asked me if I could dance and I replied that I couldn’t. Direct : My mother said, “Will you come home on time?” And I said, “Yes.” Indirect: My mother asked me if I would come home on time and I replied that I would.

Note : ‘Yes’ of ‘No’ hides a complete sentence. Therefore, change yes/no into a short answer.

Direct : She said to me, “You didn’t break the window, did you?” Indirect: She asked me if/whether I had broken the window. Direct : He said to Geeta, “You are going to the station, aren’t you?” Indirect: He asked Geeta if/ whether she was going to the station.

12. Sentences with ‘have to’ or ‘had to’ (i) Change ‘have to’ according to the rules. (ii) But change ‘had to’ into ‘had had to’ in the indirect speech. Direct : Hari said, “I have to work a lot.” Indirect: Hari said that he had to work a lot. Direct : Hari said, “I had to work a lot.” Indirect: Hari said that he had had to work a lot.

13. Sentences with ‘Sir’, ‘Madam’ or ‘Your Honour’ etc.

Generally such words are used to show respect to the person concerned.

You can master in English Grammar of various classes by our articles like Tenses, Clauses, Prepositions, Story writing, Unseen Passage, Notice Writing etc.

14. Exclamations and Wishes Sometimes Exclamatory sentences contain exclamations like Hurrah!, Alas!, Oh!, Heavens!, Bravo, etc. Such exclamatory words are removed in the indirect speech and we use ‘exclaimed with sorrow’, exclaimed with joy, exclaimed with surprise, etc. instead of ‘said’. Examples:

Direct : Rohan said, “Hurrah! We won the match.” Indirect: Rohan exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.
Direct : Reema said, “Alas! Karina’s mother is suffering from cancer.” Indirect: Reema exclaimed with sorrow that Karina’s mother was suffering from cancer.
Direct : The captain said to Kapil, “Bravo! You scored 89 runs.” Indirect: The captain exclaimed with praise that he (Kapil) had scored 89 runs.

(a) Look at these sentences.

Direct : My mother said, “May God bless you!” Indirect: My mother prayed to God for my well being.
Direct : She said, “May God save the country!” Indirect: She prayed to God to save the country.
Direct : They said to the king, “Long live!” Indirect: They blessed the king for his long life.

(b) Look at these sentences.

Direct : Mohan said, “What a pity!” Indirect: Mohan exclaimed that it was a great pity.
Direct : I said, “How stupid he is!” Indirect: I exclaimed that it was a very stupid of him.
Direct : “What a terrible sight it is!” said the traveller. Indirect: The traveller exclaimed that it was a very terrible sight. All the sentences in inverted commas are exclamatory sentences.

(i) Use ‘exclaimed’ in place of ‘said’ in the reporting verb in the indirect speech. (ii) In Indirect sentences, we use exclamatory sentences as statements. (iii) Indirect speech begins with that and full stop (•) is used instead of the exclamation mark (!). Exercise (Solved)

Change the following sentences into Indirect Speech:

(i) He said, “I will do it now.” Answer: He said that he would do it then.

(ii) He says, “Honesty is the best policy.” Answer: He says that honesty is the best policy.

(iii) Ramesh says, “I have written a letter.” Answer: Ramesh says that he has written a letter.

(iv) She said, “Mahesh will be reading a book.” Answer: She said that Mahesh would be reading a book.

(v) She said, “Where is your father?” Answer: She inquired where his father was.

(vi) He said to me, “Please take your book.” Answer: He requested me to take my book.

(vii) The Principal said to the peon, “Let this boy go out.” Answer: The Principal ordered the peon to let that boy go out.

(viii) He said to me, “May you live long!” Answer: He prayed that I might live long.

(ix) She said, “Goodbye friends!” Answer: She bade goodbye to her friends.

(ix) The student said, “Alas! I wasted my time last year.” Answer: The student regretted that he had wasted his time the previous year. Exercise (Unsolved)

The captain said, “Bravo! well done, my boys.”
He said to her, “Why do you read this book?”
He said to her, “Does your cow not kick?”
He said to his brother, “Shailesh has broken my glass.”
Our teacher said, “The earth revolves around the sun.”
He said to me, “Why have you come here?”
Usha said, “Father, you are very kind to me.”
The teacher said to the boys, “Do not make a noise.”
He said to his friend, “May you prosper in business!”
The officer said to the peon, “Let the visitor come into my office.”

When we want to tell somebody else what another person said, we can use either direct speech and reported speech. When we use direct speech, we use the same words but use quotation marks, For example: Scott said, “I am coming to work. I will be late because there is a lot of traffic now.”

When we use reported speech, we usually change the verbs, specific times, and pronouns. For example: Scott said that he was coming to work. He said that he would be late because there was a lot of traffic at that time.

Reported Speech Exercises for Class 10 CBSE With Answers

This grammar section explains English Grammar in a clear and simple way. There are example sentences to show how the language is used. NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English will help you to write better answers in your Class 10 exams. Because the Solutions are solved by subject matter experts.

Rules for Reported Speech While changing direct speech into reported speech or vice-versa the following changes occur:

1. Changes In Reporting Verb Affirmative sentences: said, told (object), asserted, replied, assured, informed, responded, whispered, alleged, believed, assumed, thought Interrogative sentences: asked, enquired, wanted to know Imperative sentences: ordered, begged, pleaded, implored, advised, demanded

2. Change Of Pronouns Direct Speech: Johnny said, ‘I am playing.’ Indirect Speech: Johnny said that he was playing. First-person generally changes to third person {depending upon the subject of the reporting verb).

3. Change Of Tenses

In general, present tense becomes past tense; past tense and present perfect become past perfect.

4. Change of situations Example: Nagesh said, ‘I read this book last week. (direct speech) Nagesh said that he had read that book the previous week, (indirect speech)

‘this’ becomes ‘that’
‘last week’ becomes ‘the previous week’
here – there
today – that day
yesterday – the day before/the previous day
tomorrow – the next day/the coming day
last week – the week before/the previous week
next month – the next month/the coming month

5. In case of questions and answers Examples:

Nagesh asked, ‘Have you read this book?’ (direct speech)
Nagesh asked if’ whether I had read that book, (indirect speech)
Nagesh asked, ‘Where is the book?’ (direct speech)
Nagesh asked where the book was. (indirect speech)

(a) For yes/no questions – use if/whether (b) For wh- questions – use the wh-word

Word Order:

Nagesh asked, ‘What’s the matter?’
Nagesh asked what the matter was. (what + the matter + was)
Nagesh asked what was the matter, (what + was + the matter)
The word order can be either:
who/which/what + complement + be or ‘
who/which/what + be + complement

6. Reported Speech using present and future tenses Examples:

Nagesh said, ‘The sun rises in the east.’ (direct speech)
Nagesh said that the sun rises in the east, (indirect speech)
Nagesh said, ‘I will read this book.’ (direct speech)
Nagesh said that he will read that book, (indirect speech)
If the original speaker’s present and future is still present and future, the tense remains unchanged.

7. In case of modal verbs can becomes could

will – would
shall – should
may – might

would, should, could, might, ought to and must are unchanged. Example:

Nagesh said, ‘I can solve this sum.’ (direct speech)
Nagesh said that he could solve that sum. (indirect speech)

Reported Speech Solved Examples Exercises for Class 10 CBSE

Read the dialogue given below and then complete the passage that follows.

Question 1. Read the dialogue and complete the passage given below.

Interviewer: So, why do you want to be a computer programmer? Ravi: Well, I have always been interested in computers. Interviewer: I see. Do you have any experience? Ravi: No, but I’m a fast learner. Interviewer: What kind of a computer do you use? Ravi: Computer? Uhm, let me see. I can use a Mac. I also used Windows 10 once. Interviewer: That’s good.

Ravi recently attended an interview for the selection of a computer programmer. At the interview, he was asked (a) ……………………….. To this question he replied that he wanted to change his job because (b) ……………………….. When the interviewer asked him (e) ………………………. he replied that he (d) ……………………….. Finally, the interviewer wanted to know (e) ………………………. . Ravi replied that he could use a Mac and had also used Windows 10 once in the,.past. The interviewer seemed to be pleased with his answers. Answer: (a) why he wanted to be a computer programmer (b) he had always been interested in computers (c) whether he had any experience (d) didn’t but that he was a fast learner (e) the kind of computer he used

Question 2. Manu: Where are you going to? Annu: I am going to the market. Do you want anything?

Manu asked Annu (a) …………………… Annu replied (b) …………………… Annu replied (b) …………………… and she further asked (C) …………………… Answer: (a) where she was going. (b) that she was going to the market (c) if/whether she wanted anything.

Question 3. Sunita: Tomorrow is your birthday, what do you want as a gift? Neetu: That is a lovely thought but I don’t want anything.

Sunita asked Neetu since the next day was her birthday, (a) …………………… Neetu replied that (b) …………………… but (C) ………………….. . Answer: (a) what she wanted as a gift (b) that was a lovely thought (c) she did not want anything.

Question 4. Gardener: Did you water the plant today? Dev: No, but I will, today. Gardener: Then tomorrow I will get a sapling of sunflower.

The Gardener asked Dev (a) …………………… Dev replied negatively but (b) …………………… Then the gardener said that (c) ………………….. . Answer: (a) if/whether he had watered the plant that day. (b) said he would that day. (c) he would get a sapling of a sunflower the next day.

Question 5. Mr. Harish: Can you polish my shoes? Cobbler: Yes sir. But I will take 10 for each shoe.

Mr. Harish: I will not mind as long as it is done. Mr. Harish asked the cobbler (a) …………………… The cobbler replied affirmatively but (b) …………………… Mr. Harish said that (C) ……………………. Answer: (a) if/whether he could polish his shoes. (b) said that he would take 10 for each shoe (c) he would not mind as long as it was done.

Question 6. Electrician: When did your electricity go? Mohan: It is not working since evening. Electrician: Sorry sir, in this case, I will have to check the fuse now.

The electrician asked Mohan (a) …………………… Mohan replied that (b) …………………… The electrician apologetically said that in that case (c) …………………… Answer: (a) when his electricity had gone. (b) it was not working since evening. (c) he would have to check the fuse then.

Question 7. Teacher : Children, let us all pledge to save trees. Children : Yes, mam, we all pledge to save our trees as the trees are the lungs of the city. Teacher : Let us start today by planting a sapling.

The teacher asked all the children to pledge to save trees. The children replied affirmatively (a) …………………… as the (b) …………………… Then the teacher said that (c) ………………….. . Answer: (a) saying that they all pledged to save trees (b) trees are the lungs of the city. (c) they should start by planting a sapling that day.

Question 8. Buddha : Honesty is the best policy. Disciple : Does honesty always pay? Buddha : It may or may not, but at least you will never feel guilty.

Buddha in his preaching said that (a) …………………… the best policy. A disciple asked him if (b) …………………… always pays, Buddha replied (c) …………………… but at least he would never feel guilty. Answer: (a) Honesty is (b) honesty (c) that it might or might not

Question 9. Doctor : You should take this medicine every day. Patient : Should I take it before dinner or after dinner? Doctor : No, you should take it after breakfast.

The Doctor advised the patient that (a) …………………… The patient further asked (b) …………………… The doctor replied negatively and then said (c) ………………….. . Answer: (a) he should take that medicine every day. (b) if/whether he should take it before dinner or after dinner. (c) that he should take it after breakfast

Question 10. Reena : Do you know how to swim? Surbhi : Yes I know. I have learnt it during this summer vacation.

Reena asked Surbhi (a) …………………… Then Surbhi replied (b) …………………… and also added that (c) ………………….. . Answer: (a) if/whether she knew how to swim (b) in affirmative (c) she had learnt it during the summer vacation.

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Reported Speech: Dialogue Writing Practice Questions CBSE Class 10 Grammar

Post last modified: 25 February 2024
Post category: Grammar Exercises / School Grammar

Reporting the narration is done two ways – Direct or Indirect. The CBSE Class 10 Gramar syllabus includes this reporting in dialogue forms. After that an exercise with blanks to be filled to transform the whole conversation in indirect form. Here are given practice exercises to help practice Dialogue reporting.

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Dialogue Reporting Practice Questions

Q. read the conversation between a teacher and student and complete the passage that follows. (cbse set 2, 2022) .

Neha: I’m really looking forward to the class picnic tomorrow. Namita: Yes, after a long time we will be meeting our friends and teachers.

Neha told Namita (1) ______________ looking forward to the class picnic _____________. Namita agreed that after a long time (2) ______________ friends and teachers.

(1) that she was really, the next day (2) they would be meeting their

Q. Read the conversation and complete the passage that follows: (OD 2022)

Ritika: Can I borrow your Math book for a couple of days? Mohit: Yes certainly, I have already studied for the test tomorrow. Ritika asked Mohit (1) ……………. for a couple of days. Mohit agreed and said that (2) ……………. .

(1) if she could borrow his Math book (2) he had already studied for the test the next day.

Q. Read the conversation between a teacher and student and complete the passage that follows. (Term 2 SQP 2021-22)

Biology Teacher: I instructed you to draw the diagram of bacteria. Why did you submit a blank sheet? Sameer: Sir, I had drawn the diagram of bacteria, but you can’t see it because it is not visible to the naked eye

The biology teacher had instructed Sameer to draw the diagram of a bacterial cell and asked him (a) ……..… a blank sheet. Sameer respectfully answered that he had drawn the diagram but (b) …….…. to the naked eye.

(a) why he had submitted (b) he/ the teacher couldn’t see it because it is not visible

Q. Read the following dialogue between a mother and her son. Complete the paragraph that follows by filling in the gaps appropriately. (2012)

Marie: Did you see my new umbrella? Isn’t it fine? Tony: Yes, it is! Did you buy it from the mall? Marie: No, your father has brought it for me.

Marie asked her son Tony (a) …………… and she wanted to know whether it was a fine one. Tony agreed and asked his mother (b) …………… His mother replied in the negative and added that (c) ……………

(a) if he had seen her new umbrella (b) if she had bought it from the mall (c) his father had brought it for her.

Note: A sentence in Simple Past (verb 2nd form or Did + Verb 1st form) need not always be converted to Past Perfect (had + Verb 3rd form) . But it is safe to convert to Past Perfect as others (evaluators) may not be knowing it. Even CBSE marking schemes seem to follow the safe rule i.e. Changing Past Tense to past Perfect tense. An example is given below.

Direct: He said, “I saw the thief myself.”

Indirect: he said that he had seen the thief himself. (The safe rule to follow) OR He said that he saw the thief himself. (It is also correct – but mostly not followed)

Q. Read the following dialogue between Garima and Karan. Complete the paragraph that follows by filling in the gaps appropriately. [AI 2011]

Garima: So, after a decade in the industry, are you truly ‘satisfied’? Karan: I love the film industry. It has its flaws though. Garima: What do you mean by this statement? Karan: We are a bunch of competitive, ambitious, sometimes petty people. But the passion cements us together.

Garima asked Karan if after a decade in the industry (a) _________. Karan told her (b) _________ although it had its flaws. Garima then enquired (c) _________. Karan explained that they were a bunch of competitive, ambitious, sometimes petty people but the passion cemented them together.

(a) he was truly ‘satisfied’ (b) that he loved the film industry (c) what he meant by that statement

Q. Choose the correct options to fill in the blanks to complete Venu’s narration. [SQP 2020]

I saw Supanddi standing in the field. When I -(A)- doing there, he -(B)- he was trying to win a Nobel prize. I was confused and enquired how standing in the rice field would help him do so. He stumped me by saying that he -(C)- won Nobel prizes had all been outstanding in their fields!

(A) (a) exclaimed what he was (b) told him what he was (c) asked him what he was (d) says to him about what (B) (a) ordered that (b) refused that (c) questioned that (d) replied that (C) (a) has heard that people who has (b) was hearing that people who were (c) had heard that people who had (d) did hear that people who had

(A) – (c) (B) – (d) (C) – (c)

Q. Choose the correct options to fill in the blanks to complete the narration of Patty’s conversation with Charlie. [SQP 2020]

Charlie: Dear Santa, here is a list if what I want. Patty: How do you suppose Santa Claus can afford to give away all those toys? Charlie: Promotion! Don’t kid yourself……Everything these days is promotion! I will bet if the truth were brought about, you will find that he’s being financed by some big eastern chain!

While making the list of what Charlie wanted from Santa Claus, he asked Patty how …..(A)….. all those toys. She said that …..(B)….. and that it was possible as Santa …..(C)….. big eastern chain.

(A) (a) Santa Claus could afford to give away (b) will give away (c) gave away (d) giving away

(B) (a) everything these days were promotion (b) everything these days was promotion (c) everything those days was promotion (d) everything these days was going to be promotion

(C) (a) was financing by some big eastern chain (b) had been financed by some big eastern chain (c) was being financed by some big eastern chain (d) will be financed by some big eastern chain

(A) – (a) (B) – (c) (C) – (c)

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Modals: english grammar for cbse/icse boards classes, gap filling: cloze test exercises english grammar for school classes, direct-indirect speech: assertive sentences practice exercises, article writing: cbse class 10 english grammar, this post has 66 comments.

Thank you for question These were excellent and also improved my spech

It’s speech not spech

clapings it is speech

thank you it will help with my exam preparation

Thanks. New questions are also added from time to time.

Thanks a lot for these questions it helped me to be thorough with the exam pattern.

Are you from India:)

thanks for those questions

Why are there so many mistakes in the given questions?The names of the people in the conversation and the names of the people in the related question are completely different.Pls chk and rectify.It is confusing the kids and the purpose of these practice questions is totally defeated.

Thank you for informing us of the mistakes. We have done the required corrections. I hope all is well now.

page 2 question 3 there is a name error plz rectify it as soon as possible to avoid more confusion

Thank you for informing us of the mistake. The required correction has been done- ‘Mohan’ has been replaced by ‘Vinnet’ in the last line of the question.

Please add more questions

In the second question (page 1) , answer to the first part is wrong as Did changes to had + verb’s 3rd form.

Thank you for referring to the issue. We have updated the post and added a ‘note’ section.

Thanks a lot! These were truly of great help! Excellent questions!

It was very helpful ☺️. Thanks ncert tutorials

Really, it was very helpful.

Sir, i wanted to know where “it” is changed to “that” . I have this confusion as there are many questions where it is changed to that..but in many questions there is “it” only.

Sir, In Question no. 4 , please check the answers of option (c) , (f) , (h) why there is “been”

‘Had been’ is used in place ‘was and were’.

Sir, In question 7 (a), How could ‘may’ change into ‘could’?

Thanks for pointing out the error. We have made the required correction.

It was nice to have such a exercise to practice….

Sir, In question 8(d), It should be ‘ she had been talking’ instead of ‘ she has been talking’

The correction done. Thank You Ayush for sparing time to help us clean the exercises out of mistakes.

Why are you using Wrong English ?

Why are you using Wrong English ? Please use correct English to teach. Thank you.

Please give proper reference. I would do required corrections or elaborate upon your issue.

Thank you for this. Please add more. And I think there are some mistakes please do check and correct them. Thanks again🙌

thank you, Elena, and after reports of some errors corrections also have been done. If future reports received, required corrections will be done.

in the fifth page 4th ques there will be what he had been reading as past progressive changes to past perfect progressive

Thank you Sarthak for informing us of the error. Corrections done and the question has also been modified with one more filling gap (d).

thank u for giving a lot of questions this was useful for my class 10 board term 2 exam

thank you so much

Tomorrow is board

Yess all the bestt

I have my english board exam tomorrow, and this helped me a lot

thank you soo much. this site is the only one that consists of grammar questions based on the format of the board exams

it helped me a lot to prepare for my term 2 board exam of english. LOOKING FORWARD TO SCORE 40/40

Best of Luck Aishwarya 👍👍

best of luck to me to plz saaaayyyyy Subscribe to Jonja hi Jonja

Ok, Best of luck to you also 👍👍

Thank you sir , Your questions on reported speech have helped me a lot to study for my exam.

EXCELLENT QUESTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! KEEP IT UP………………..

Sir in question no. 3(b) the past tense of buy should be bought and not brought.Pls make the changes.

Correction done 😊.

I love the lessons for they are smart enough to learn personally.

I would like to show my gratitude …….this website was really good and helpful 👍 and more comfortable

Very nice examples They helped me a lot in my exam preparation

thanks for sharing this information

Questions were very helpful and amazing also… Thanks for such practice question..

Good questions thank you

sir on page 1 Q 2 it should be “for tomorrow’s test” instead of “the test tomorrow”.

Hi Arnav, it is written as ‘for the test tomorrow’ so no problem.

Thanks too much this is awesome for my test this help me more

Thank you admin blog. Very good

Please add longer questions

there some questions with mistakes arun and rohit question pls rectrfy the mistakes thanks it helped me a lot because it was my todays homework i referred and completed it Thank you

We revisited the question mentioned by you but did not find any error. May be you have any doubt. Feel free to ask us about that.

Pls take a look at the first question Isnt ‘will’ supposed to be changed to ‘would’

Correction done

THANKS, IT WAS AWESOME…

Reported Speech Exercises with Answers for Class 10

One of the English grammar concepts that almost all of us would have studied in our junior classes is reported speech . Having a clear understanding of reported speech helps students use sentences correctly. This article provides reported speech exercises for class 10 students.

direct indirect speech worksheet class 10

Reported Speech Exercises for Class 10 with Answers

Here is an exercise on the transformation of direct speech to indirect speech. Go through the following sentences, work them out and then check your answers to assess how far you have understood their usage.

Change as directed

Read the following sentences and change them into reported speech.

Mimi said, “I have been writing this letter.”
I said, “Sam’s driving the car.”
My uncle said, “I am cooking lunch.”
My brother said, “I had already eaten.”
The old lady said to the girl, “Where do you come from?”
Jon said, “I like to play rugby.”
My mother said, “I get up early every morning.”
The maths teacher said, “Three divided by three is one.”
Mohit said, “Switzerland is a very beautiful country.”
Ruben said, “It is very cold outside.”
The teacher said, “The French Revolution took place in 1789.”
Uma said, “I saw a Royal Bengal Tiger in the zoo.”
Luke said, “I can do this homework.”
Aswini said to her mother, “I have passed the test”.
Daphne said to Antony, “I will go to London tomorrow.”
The boy said, “My father is sleeping.”
The traffic police said to us, “Where are you going?”
The man shouted, “Let me go.”
Shivina said, “Alas! I am lost.”
“I know her contact number,” said Helena.
Stefen said, “My granny is making pasta.”
Raj said to Simran, “Have you ever been to the National Museum?”
Anish said to Sid, “Please lend me the book.”
The teacher said to the parents, “Shelly is working very hard.”
Joshua said, “I have completed my assignment.”
I said to Alka, “How long will you stay here?”
The child told his dad, “I want an ice cream.”
Meera said, “I am not feeling well.”
The teacher said to Vivek, “Draw the diagram of the plant’s parts.”
Irin said, “I am playing the piano.”
My mother said to me, “Help me carry this bag.”
Rahul said, “My sister is very helpful.”
The news reporter said, “The flight will be delayed by a few hours due to heavy rains.”
Urmi said to her mother, “I want a slice of pizza.”
I said to Daniel, “Are you reading this book?”
Mimi said that she had been writing that letter.
I said that Sam was driving the car.
My uncle said that he was cooking lunch.
My brother said that he had already eaten.
The old lady asked the girl where she came from.
Jon said that he likes to play rugby.
My mother said that she gets up early every morning.
The maths teacher said that three divided by three is one.
Mohit said that Switzerland was a very beautiful country.
Ruben said that it was very cold outside.
The teacher said that the French Revolution took place in 1789.
Uma said that she saw a Royal Bengal Tiger in the zoo.
Luke said that he could do that homework.
Aswini told her mother that she had passed the test.
Daphne informed Antony that she would go to London the next day.
The boy said that his father was sleeping.
The traffic police asked us where we were going.
The man shouted to them to let him go.
Shivina exclaimed sadly that she was lost.
Helena said that she knew her contact number.
Stefen said that his granny was making pasta.
Raj asked Simran if she had ever been to the National Museum.
Anish requested Sid to lend him the book.
The teacher told the parents that Shelly was working very hard.
Joshua said that he had completed his assignment.
I asked Alka how long she would stay there.
The child told his dad that he wants an ice cream.
Meera said that she was not feeling well.
The teacher instructed Vivek to draw the diagram of the plant’s parts.
Irin said that she was playing the piano.
My mother asked me to help her carry the bag.
Rahul said that his sister was very helpful.
The news reporter said that the flight would be delayed by a few hours due to heavy rains.
Urmi said to her mother that she wanted a slice of pizza.
I asked Daniel if he was reading that book.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is direct narration.

When the actual words/sentences spoken by the speaker are quoted in a speech, it is known as direct speech/narration.

Is knowing reported speech necessary for Class 10?

Having a basic understanding of reported speech is necessary for students of any class or age. Solving exercises on direct and indirect speech will help them understand thoroughly and use them correctly.

What is indirect speech?

When the quoted speech is reported in the form of a narrative without changing the meaning of the actual quotation/words by the speaker, it is called indirect speech. Indirect speech is also known as reported speech.

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CBSE Class 10 English Grammar – Direct And Indirect Speech

Formulae Handbook for Class 10 Maths and Science

Reported Speech Class 10

Sohan said to Mohan, “I am going to school.”

The exact words spoken by Sohan are put within inverted commas. But when we give the substance of what Sohan said, it is called the Indirect Speech.

Direct and Indirect Speech

Sohan told to Mohan that he (Sohan) was going to school.

2. Rules for Changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech:

In the Indirect speech, no inverted commas are used.
The conjunctions that, if, whether, are generally used after the reporting verb.
The first word of the reported speech begins with a capital letter.
The tense of the reporting verb is never changed.
The reporting verb changes according to sense: it may be told, asked, inquired

Direct And Indirect Speech Exercises For Class 10 With Answers

More Resources for CBSE Class 10

NCERT Solutions
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Science
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Maths
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Social
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Hindi
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Sanskrit
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Foundation of IT
RD Sharma Class 10 Solutions

3. Rules for the Change of Pronouns:

The first person pronouns (I, me, my, we, us, our) in the reported speech change according to the subject of the reporting verb.
The pronouns of the second person (you, your, yourself) in the reported speech change according to the object of the reporting verb.
The pronouns of the third person do not change.

Direct And Indirect Speech Exercises Class 10

For example:

He said, “I like the book.” He said that he liked the book.
He said to me, “Do you like the book?” He asked me if I liked the book.
He said, “He likes the book.” He said that he liked the book.

Direct And Indirect Speech Class 10

5. Change in Tenses:

If the reporting verb is in the present or the future tense, the tense of the reported speech is not changed: Satish says, “I am flying a kite.” Satish says that he is flying a kite. Satish will say, “I want a glass of milk.” Satish will say that he wants a glass of milk.

Direct And Indirect Speech Exercises Class 10

If the direct speech expresses a historical fact, universal truth, or a habitual fact, then the tense of the direct speech will not change: Direct: He said, “Honesty is the best policy.” Indirect: He said that honesty is the best policy. Direct: He said, “The sun rises in the east.” Indirect: He said that the sun rises in the east. Direct: Rakesh said, “I am an early riser.” Indirect : Rakesh said that he is an early riser. Direct: She said, “God is omnipresent.” Indirect: She said that God is omnipresent. Direct: The teacher said, “The First World War started in 1914.” Indirect: The teacher said that the First World War started in 1914.

Reported Speech Rules Class 10

6. Changing Statements into Indirect Speech:

The reporting verb ‘said to’ is changed-to ‘told’, ‘replied’, ‘remarked’,
The reporting verb is not followed by an object, it is not changed.
The inverted commas are removed. The conjunction is used to connect the reporting clause with the reported speech.

The rules for the change of pronouns, tenses, etc. are followed.

Direct: Ramu said, “I saw a lion in the forest.” Indirect: Ramu said that he had seen a lion in the forest.
Direct: Satish said to me, “I am very happy here.” Indirect: Satish told me that he was very happy there.
Direct: He said, “I can do this work.” Indirect: He said that he could do that work.
Direct: Renu said to me, “I was washing the clothes.” Indirect: Renu told me that she had been washing the clothes.
Direct: She said, “I am not well.” Indirect: She said that she was not well.
Direct: He said to Sita, “I have passed the test.” Indirect: He told Sita that he had passed the test.
Direct: I said to my friend, “He has been working very hard.” Indirect: I told my friend that he had been working very hard.
Direct: My friend said to me, “I shall go to Delhi tomorrow.” Indirect: My friend told me that he would go to Delhi the next day.
Direct: I said, “I agree to what he said.” Indirect: I said that I agreed to what he had said.
Direct: The student said to the teacher, “I am sorry that I am late.” Indirect: The student told the teacher that he was sorry that he was late.

Reported Speech Exercises For Class 10

7. Rules for the Change of Interrogative (Questions) sentences:

The reporting verb “say’ is changed into ask, inquire,

The interrogative sentence is changed into a statement by placing the subject before the verb and the full stop is put at the end of the sentence.

If the interrogative sentence has a wh-word (who, when, where, how, why, etc) the wh-word is repeated in the sentence. It serves as conjunction.

If the interrogative sentence is a yes-no answer type sentence (with auxiliary verbs am, are, was, were, do, did, have, shall, etc), then ‘if or ‘whether’ is used as a conjunction.

The auxiliaries do, does, did in a positive question in the reported speech are dropped.

The conjunction is not used after the reporting clause.

Direct: I said to him, “Where are you going?” Indirect: I asked him where he was going.
Direct: He said to me, “Will you go there?” Indirect: He asked me if I would go there.
Direct: My friend said to Deepak, “Have you ever been to Agra?” Indirect: My friend asked Deepak if he had ever been to Agra.
Direct: I said to him, “Did you enjoy the movie?” Indirect: I asked him if he had enjoyed the movie.
Direct: I said to her, “Do you know him?” Indirect: I asked her if she knew him.
Direct: He said to me, “Will you listen to me?” Indirect: He asked me if I would listen to him.
Direct: I said to him, “When will you go there?” Indirect: I asked him when he would go there.
Direct: He said to me, “How is your father?” Indirect: He asked me how my father was.
Direct: I said to him, “Are you happy?” Indirect: I asked him if he was happy.
Direct: He said to her, “Do you like apples?” Indirect: He asked her if she liked apples.

Class 10 Reported Speech Class 10

8. Changing Commands and Requests into Indirect Speech:

In imperative sentences having commands, the reporting verb is changed into command, order, tell, allow, request,etc.
The imperative mood is changed into the infinitive mood by putting ‘to’, before the verb. In case of negative sentences, the auxiliary ‘do’ is dropped and ‘to’ is placed after ‘not’:
Direct: She said to me, “Open the window.” Indirect: She ordered me to open the window.
Direct: The captain said to the soldiers, “Attack the enemy.” Indirect: The captain commanded the soldiers to attack the enemy.
Direct: I said to him, “Leave this place at once.” Indirect: I told him to leave that place at once.
Direct: The teacher said to the students, “Listen to me attentively.” Indirect: The teacher asked the students to listen to him attentively.
Direct: The Principal said to the peon, “Ring the bell.” Indirect: The Principal ordered the peon to ring the bell.
Direct: The master said to the servant, “Fetch me a glass of water.” Indirect: The master ordered the servant to fetch him a glass of water.
Direct: I said to him, “Please bring me a glass of water.” Indirect: I requested him to bring me a glass of water.
Direct: I said to my friend, “Please lend me your book.” Indirect: I requested my friend to lend me his book.

Direct Indirect Speech Exercises Class 10

9. Sentences with ‘Let’.

‘Let’ is used in various meanings.

(i) ‘Let’ is used to make a proposal.

First change the reporting verb into ‘proposed’ or ‘suggested’.
Use ‘should’ instead of ‘let’. Example: Direct: He said to me, “Let us go home.” Indirect: He suggested to me that we should go home.

(ii) ‘Let’ is used as ‘to allow’.

In Indirect Speech, we change the reporting verb to ‘requested’ or ‘ordered’.
We start Reported Speech with ‘to’. Direct: Ram said to Mohan, “Let him do it.” Indirect: Ram ordered Mohan to let him do that. Or Ram told Mohan that he might be allowed to do that.

Reported Speech Class 10 Exercise Class 10

Note : ‘Yes’ of ‘No’ hides a complete sentence. Therefore, change yes/no into a short answer.

Direct And Indirect Speech Exercises For Class 10

13. Sentences with ‘Sir’, ‘Madam’ or ‘Your Honour’ etc.

Generally such words are used to show respect to the person concerned.

You can master in English Grammar of various classes by our articles like Tenses, Clauses, Prepositions, Story writing, Unseen Passage, Notice Writing etc. https://www.cbselabs.com/cbse-class-10-english-grammar-direct-indirect-speech/

Reported Speech Class 10 Notes

Direct : Rohan said, “Hurrah! We won the match.” Indirect: Rohan exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.
Direct : Reema said, “Alas! Karina’s mother is suffering from cancer.” Indirect: Reema exclaimed with sorrow that Karina’s mother was suffering from cancer.
Direct : The captain said to Kapil, “Bravo! You scored 89 runs.” Indirect: The captain exclaimed with praise that he (Kapil) had scored 89 runs.

(a) Look at these sentences.

Direct : My mother said, “May God bless you!” Indirect: My mother prayed to God for my well being.
Direct : She said, “May God save the country!” Indirect: She prayed to God to save the country.
Direct : They said to the king, “Long live!” Indirect: They blessed the king for his long life.

(b) Look at these sentences.

Direct : Mohan said, “What a pity!” Indirect: Mohan exclaimed that it was a great pity.
Direct : I said, “How stupid he is!” Indirect: I exclaimed that it was a very stupid of him.
Direct : “What a terrible sight it is!” said the traveller. Indirect: The traveller exclaimed that it was a very terrible sight. All the sentences in inverted commas are exclamatory sentences.

Exercise (Solved)